The psychiatric institution Ugljan has been founded on the September the 1st 1955, in the exact place of former Italian camp that has been built in the year 1942 on the island Ugljan, in the town Ugljan. Six of the existent one-floor pavilions have been refurbished, new buildings have been built and the surroundings of the institution have also been through redecoration process. Since in that time Ugljan was without electricity, a power plant has been put to work, and the main source of water was a tank collecting rainwater. Access to the institution that was placed some 3km outside of town was a major problem, as there were no quality roads leading to it. The only way to Zadar hospital was by sea, and it was once in a day. First patients arrived from Vrapče, Jankomir, Popovača, Pakrac and Šibenik hospitals.

At the very beginning, the hospital was in dispose of 200 medical beds and there was a certain lack of specialized personnel, because the living conditions were extremely hard. There was a doctor Ivan Matulić coming from Veli Iž once or twice a week. Hospital manager for non-medical activities was Mr. Dragutin Krklec. First medical personnel were the towners of Ugljan, who finished two-year school for medics that was opened the year 1956 on the grounds of the main hospital. Credits for that goes to the contemporary hospital head master, dr. Vitalij Petrovski, who was also a founder of work therapy. The attendants of that two-year school were percusors of medical nurses or medical technicians, and most of them spent their entire working life in the institution, successfully pursuing their calls. Over the years, the head-master have changed, and in this order: 1955-1958 dr. Vitalij Petrovski, 1958-1959 dr. Ladislav Nikolić, 1959-1968 dr. Zvonimir Sušić, 1968-1970 Abdulah Jančiragiđ.

Prof. Dr. Zvonimir Sušić has improved the expert psychological work, work therapy, and has enabled further educations of medical personnel, and the specialization of neouropsychiatrists. One of the achievements of the entire hospital management in lead with head master dr. Sušić was the discovery of spring water, and the construction of hospital aqueduct. During those periods of time, a lovely park was built around the hospital, along with a morgue and the hospital had its own cemetery. In the year 1970, dr- Ivo Maljković becomes a head master, and the hospital continues to expand. A year later (1971.), a building for chronic alcoholics has been put to use, and 1972. was the year when the construction of a building for work therapy and professional rehabilitation began.

In the year 1973 a center for reintegrating psychiatric patients into social life (diagnostics, professional guidance) has been built. In charge of those was a professional team composed of neuropsychiartists, clinical psychologists, internists and social workers. The same year, VII. sports games  of psychiatric patients were held, along with a first symposium covering work therapy, and sport and rehabilitation within psychiatry. Automatic heating room was built in 1975., and central heating for all hospital divisions, work departments and workshops for both male and female therapy members was put in use. About 7km of ducts for central heating and for warm shallow-water was installed. A new phone central station was put in use in 1974., and a year later (1975.), a management building was built for use of head master and his coworkers, administration departments, accountantship, clinical laboratory, hospital pharmacy, and dental ambulance.

Hospitals departments are being redecorated, ground surrounding the hospital have been covered with asphalt (1977.), and in 1983 a microbiological laboratory is opened. At that time, the spotlight is on work and recreational therapy. During work therapy, patients were working in the room where the books were being assembled, the room where thy fibers were being weaved, room where rods were being knitted, where brushes and brooms were being made, where nets were being equipped, in the handmade embroidery room TRIKOTAŽA?? Pooojma nemam ništa u kosim slovima pa sam ti tako složio…a pak trikotaža,,neće ići. Those who became skilled in certain line of work were given acknowledgements, and a ‘’certificate’’ regarding that skill. Patients had their private orchestra, singing choir, and puppet play. Patients also did painting, what resulted with art galleries, with the supervision of an art pedagogue. There is a library in the hospital (both medical and infirmary), founded sometime between 1955. and 1956, that disposes with over 5000 books. Members are both hospital personnel, and patients. Over many years of work, a department specialized for translation is still functioning (German and English language spheres). There are no barriers surrounding the hospitals (like fence or a wall), and that is just another predisposition for reintegrating the patients into social world, as there are no boundaries between the hospital itself and the outer world. In the year 1973. VII. sports games  of psychiatric patients were held, along with a first symposium covering work therapy, and sport and rehabilitation within psychiatry. During 1980’s, number of hospital personnel doubled from 200 to 400 persons, and half of those were medical staff. The number of patients jumped to 600, and that alone was a reason enough to justify the existence of such institution. In the year 1990, doc. Dr. sc. Emil Žampera is in the place of head master, and stays there until 2003. The same year was the opening of a daily hospital that was taking care of those patients who don’t need any of the intense treatments, and are capable of arriving to the hospital for their treatment every day. Biggest number of patients are those who suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome.

In the July of 2003., dr. Darko Labura becomes a head master. In the last couple of years, the hospital continues to expand, and a life-long dream of Ugljan population, and medical personnel in hospital is finally coming true. Hospital got connected to the aqueduct network of the island (water carriers are now past), and by doing that, the sewer system is no longer an issue. Gradually, hospital departments are getting arranged, modern diagnostic tools are being acquired, and what follows is the opening of the ambulance in Zadar. Currently, the hospital is in expectation of getting all the computers into one single computer network, and that would increase efficiency. The inner organization of psychiatric department is also going through a major reform process.